Eating Well with the Seasons in Richmond, Virginia

Menu

Spiced Cranberry Vodka

december 17, 2013

Visitors bearing homemade treats are always welcome at my home during the holidays. A gift of handcrafted limoncello made by friends a few years back was sipped with extra pleasure, illustrating that gifts handmade with care are treasured all the more by the lucky recipients.

Strolling the aisles of the local liquor store a few weeks back for a little holiday inspiration, I found vodka flavors ranging from subtle and complementary (citrus and currant) to those inviting comparison to children’s cough medicines (sugar cookie dough! strawberry mango!).

How hard can it be to customize vodka with seasonal flavors and pack it up for holiday host gifts? Surprisingly easy. Time does all the work, and depending on how strongly flavored you take your vodka, you can have a batch ready to go in as little as four days. Keep some for yourself and stock your bar with the fixings for other colorful seasonal libations (see my post two winter cocktails).

Today’s recipe has a peppery bite, is not very sweet (most flavored vodkas call for up to seventy five percent more sugar) and has the romantic aroma of an anise flavored liqueur without the syrupy sweetness. If you are not enamored with Sambuca, ouzo or other anise flavored alcohols, omit the star anise and let the other spices shine.

I sampled the infusion at four days and it was divinely tasty, and after one week the flavors were more assertive but not overpowering.

Let your recipients decide how this crimson magic can best be used in their homes, or attach a little card with suggested ways to enjoy :